John, Paul, George and Ricky!

To coincide with Floriade's rock and roll theme we just couldn't go past John, Paul, George and Ricky!

Ricky? Yes, the incoming passenger cards of the Beatles all those years ago provide interesting snippets of information – including confirmation that Ringo Starr's real name was Richard Starkey. Also revealed are birth dates, where they lived, and how long they intended to stay.

There's an interesting mark on John's card. It appears he first ticked the box marked ‘single' but then crossed it out and ticked the box marked ‘married'. His marriage to Cynthia was not common knowledge at the time. Perhaps he first considered keeping it secret, but then thought better of it on an official form.

A piece of Fab Four trivia that devoted fans may be able to answer – is there a link with the wet day when the band, returning from New Zealand, touched down on the Mascot tarmac in September 1964, and the track on The Complete Silver Beatles album (released in 1982) called ‘September in the rain'?